ABOUT MATHINA

In April 2016, my day job wasn’t permitting as much expression of my passion as I wanted, so I quit it to attempt a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. If that seems like a non sequitur, it is. I figured launching a freelance life, which I wanted to do (probably) would require more willingness to endure discomfort than I possessed. A few months in the woods squared me away in that regard. After 12 weeks, a broken foot booted me off the trail.

My passion for writing started with a degree and job in journalism. I wrote about education, which inspired me to spend several years teaching fourth- and fifth-graders, which qualified me to develop educational assessments, which I did for twelve years. But I missed the craft of writing, so I earned an MFA in creative nonfiction. Then I missed teaching, so I taught writing at a community college. Finally, I hit the trail to find my purpose, came home and started freelancing, and here we are!